JPS62137094A - Full-automatic washing machine - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] This bulletin contains application data before electronic filing, so abstract data is not recorded.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a fully automatic washing machine, and particularly to control of a rinsing process.

(Prior art and its problems) Conventionally, in this type of washing machine, the amount of water (water level) was determined empirically by the user based on the amount of laundry, so it was easy to have too much or too little water. If the amount of water is small, fabric stains will occur, and if there is a large amount of water, there will be problems such as wasted water consumption.

Furthermore, since the strength of the water flow was determined empirically by the user, there were problems such as the water flow being too strong and causing fabric stains, and being too weak causing insufficient rinsing. I was supposed to invite him.

However, recently, various methods have been proposed that automatically determine the amount of laundry and set the water amount and water flow in the rinsing process to the appropriate water amount and water flow.
As seen in the publication, once water has been supplied to the lowest water level, the pulsator is rotated and the average value of the current flowing through the motor at that time is determined.The necessity of additional water supply is determined based on this average value, and when necessary, the pulsator is rotated. A method has been proposed in which additional water is supplied to the next stage's water level and the necessity of additional water supply is determined by the operation described above again to finally obtain the appropriate water level (water amount), but the control is very complicated. However, it was difficult in terms of technology and cost, and was impractical.0 (Objective of the Invention) The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and is an intermediate dehydration step performed before the rinsing step. By obtaining control data such as the water level (water amount) and water flow during the rinsing process, the rinsing process can be performed in an appropriate condition to eliminate cloth damage, wasted water, and insufficient rinsing, and is highly practical. It is something that provides something.

(Structure of the Invention) The present invention includes a detection means for detecting water discharged during an intermediate dehydration step, a dehydration state detection means for detecting the progress of dehydration based on an output signal of the detection means, and a dehydration state detection means for detecting water discharged during an intermediate dehydration step. and rinsing content determining means for counting the time required for the dehydration state to reach a certain constant state based on the output signal and generating a rinsing control signal based on the time, and controlling the rinsing process using the rinsing control signal. The structure is designed to achieve the intended purpose.

(Example) Examples of the present invention shown in the drawings will be described in detail below.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a control system of a fully automatic washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is an outer tank, 2 is a washing and dehydration tank (hereinafter referred to as a dehydration tank) having a large number of drainage holes 3 on the circumferential wall surface, 4 is a pulsator, 5 is a mechanical case containing a built-in brake, clutch, and deceleration mechanism; 6 is a motor for washing and dewatering, 7 is a drainage route with a drain valve 8 inserted, 9 is a water supply route with a water supply valve 10 inserted, and 11 is a turbidity detector (detection means) installed in the drainage route 7. , light emitting element 12 and light receiving element 1
3 and 3 are placed opposite each other with a drainage route 7 between them, and the drainage route 7
Optically detects water inside. The output voltage of the turbidity detector 11 is low when there is a lot of water flowing in the drainage path 7 and the light from the light emitting element 12 is blocked and the amount of light received by the light receiving element 13 is small.
Conversely, it becomes high when the amount of light received is large. 14 is a turbidity determination section, 1
5 is a water level detector that detects the water level based on pressure changes within the air trap 1G, 17 is a motor control section, 18 is a drain valve control section, 19 is a water supply valve control section, and 20 is a sequence control section.

In the above configuration, the water squeezed out of the laundry by the high-speed rotation of the dehydration tank 2 during the dewatering process jumps out through the drain hole 3, and the water received in the outer tank 1 is discharged to the outside through the drainage path 7. However, on the way, the water passes between the light emitting element 12 and the light receiving element 13 and blocks the light, so the amount of light received by the light receiving element 13 changes, and the output voltage of the turbidity detector 11 changes as shown in Figs. Changes as shown in Figure 3.

Figures 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the relationship between the elapsed time of dehydration and the output voltage of the turbidity detector. Figure 2 shows the case when the amount of laundry is small, and Figure 3 shows the case when the amount is large. . To explain the change in the output voltage of the turbidity detector 11 according to FIGS. 2 and 3, at the beginning of the dehydration process (until the water from the laundry reaches the turbidity detector 11), the output voltage is When the water reaches the turbidity detector 11 and begins to block the light, the output voltage will drop sharply because the amount of water that comes out in the early winter is still high, and if the amount of laundry is small, the output voltage will be Since there is little water, the output voltage will start to rise in a relatively short time as shown in the second diagram, but if there is a large amount of laundry, there will be a lot of water, so the output voltage will rise for a long time as shown in the third diagram. It will only begin to rise over time. Therefore, by temporarily setting the reference voltage as Vl, counting the time t from the start of dehydration until the output voltage of the turbidity detector 11 returns to the reference voltage V1, and looking at the length of that time, it is possible to Figure 4 shows the relationship between the length of time t and the amount of cloth, and as can be seen from this figure, there is a proportional relationship between time t and the amount of cloth. Further, in FIG. 4, it can be seen that the proportionality coefficients differ depending on the type of cloth fr, , j2, and the time t for the same amount of cloth is longer for pomegranates containing more water than for synthetic fibers.

On the other hand, it is known that the fabric circumference for the same amount of fabric (the way the fabric moves in response to the same water flow) is worse for fabrics that contain a lot of water than for synthetic fibers. You can know the length, type of cloth, and right-handed rotation.

There is a close correlation between fabric circumference and water level, and the water level for the same amount of fabric needs to be higher for noodles with poor fabric circumference than for synthetic fibers.

As can be seen from the above, the time t from the start of dehydration until the output voltage of the turbidity detector 11 returns to the reference voltage v1
By counting the amount of time and setting the water level based on the length of time, it is possible to obtain the appropriate water level for the amount and type of laundry.

Next, Figure 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the amount of cloth and the amount of detergent contained in the cloth. From this figure, it can be seen that the amount of detergent contained in cloth is proportional to the amount of cloth, and that it differs depending on the type of cloth. For example, the amount of detergent contained in the same amount of cloth is higher for Japanese noodles than for synthetic fibers. Therefore, from this figure 5 and the above figure 4, it can be seen that there is a correlation between the length of time t and the amount of detergent contained in the cloth. It is possible to detect the difficulty level of water flow, and also to know the appropriate water flow.

Based on the above, control in the above embodiment of the present invention will be explained. In addition, FIG. 6 is a rinsing content determination flowchart, and in the figure, A to E are determination values determined in advance based on experimental data, etc., with the value of A being the smallest and the value of E being the largest.

Now, when the washing process and the draining process are completed and the process moves to the intermediate dehydration process, the sequence control unit 20 causes the motor control unit 17 to
The N signal is output to drive the motor 6 to rotate the dehydration tank 2 to start dehydrating the laundry, while starting the timer to start counting the elapsed time T. Then, the turbidity determination section 14 Therefore, the output voltage V of the turbidity detector 11 becomes the reference voltage v
The determination as to whether the value has decreased to 1 or less is repeated. When it is determined that the voltage has dropped below the reference voltage Vl, it is then determined whether the output voltage V of the turbidity detector 11 has returned to the reference voltage v1.

Over time, dehydration progresses and the turbidity detector 11
When the output voltage ■ returns to the reference voltage V+ and this is determined, the timer data T at this time is read out and stored as time t.

When the intermediate dehydration step is completed, the previously stored time t is read out, and the water level and water flow in the next rinsing step are set by comparing this time t with the judgment value A-E. Move on to the next rinsing process. Therefore, the rinsing process is performed at a previously set water level and water flow, and the water level and water flow are appropriate for the amount and type of laundry, so that there is no possibility of fabric damage, insufficient rinsing, or wasted water. The problem of doing so disappears.

For example, if the time t is long and larger than the judgment value E,
Since the amount of laundry is large, the fabric has poor circulation, and it is like a dish containing a large amount of detergent, rinsing is performed at a high water level and with a strong water flow, and the time t is extremely short, resulting in a judgment value of A.
If it is smaller, the amount of laundry is small, and it is made of synthetic fibers that have good clockwise rotation and low detergent content.
Rinsing will be performed with a weak water stream at a low water level,
In either case, a sufficient rinsing effect can be obtained.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the control system of a fully automatic washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention. A detector 21 made of a piezoelectric element or the like is used which generates an electromotive force (electrical signal) depending on the size, number, etc. of the collided water droplets when they collide with each other. In Figure 7,
Reference numeral 22 denotes a dehydration determination unit that detects the degree of dehydration progress based on the output signal of the detector 21. This dehydration determination unit 22 includes an amplifier circuit that amplifies the output signal of the detector 21, and a constant temperature control circuit for eliminating small output signals. A comparison circuit that outputs only when there is a signal higher than a certain voltage compared to the voltage, and a reference circuit that discharges over a long period of time with a CR time constant when there is an input from the comparison circuit, and when there is an input signal within a certain period. Constructed with a hold circuit etc. to prevent the voltage from dropping below the voltage level.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time of dehydration, the change in the output of the dehydration determining section, and the change in the dehydration rate. The output of the dehydration determination unit 22 is at the rI (l level) from the start of dehydration until the water droplets begin to collide with the detector 21, and changes to the rLJ level when water droplets begin to collide with the detector 21 frequently, and then collides with the detector 21. When the number of water droplets decreases, the level changes again to rHJ.Thus, in this embodiment, the output of the dehydration determining section 22 is rL.
Take the point at which the dehydration rate changes from J to rHJ (the point at which the dehydration rate changes from rapid to slow) and calculate the time t from the start of dehydration to the above point.
is counted, and rinsing control signals such as water level and water flow are generated based on this time t. The above time t varies depending on the amount and type of laundry, and by detecting the time T, it is possible to know the appropriate water level and water flow for the amount and type of laundry, as in the previous embodiment. .

Therefore, the rinsing process can be carried out at an appropriate water level and water flow, as in the previous embodiment, and a sufficient rinsing effect can be obtained without causing fabric staining or wasting water.

In both of the above embodiments, both the water level and water flow in the rinsing process are automatically set based on the time from the start of dehydration until the dehydration state reaches a certain state, but only one of them is set automatically. may be set automatically.

Further, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the turbidity detector 11 can be used for controlling the washing and rinsing processes, and in the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the detector 21 can be used for controlling the dehydration process, which is advantageous in terms of cost.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, in the present invention, control data such as water level and water flow during the next rinsing step is obtained in the intermediate dehydration step,
The rinsing process can be carried out in an appropriate state, and problems such as cloth damage, waste of water, and insufficient rinsing can be solved, and complicated control is not required.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the control system of a fully automatic washing machine according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIGS. 2 and 3 are diagrams showing the relationship between the elapsed time of dewatering and the output voltage of the turbidity detector. , 4th
The figure shows the relationship between the time t and the amount of cloth, Figure 5 shows the relationship between the amount of cloth and the amount of detergent contained in the cloth, Figure 6 is a flowchart for determining the rinsing content, and Figure 7 shows the relationship between the amount of cloth and the amount of detergent contained in the cloth. FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a control system of a fully automatic washing machine according to another embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing the relationship between the elapsed time of dehydration, the dehydration determination section, and the dehydration rate. 2: Washing and dehydration tank, 11: Turbidity detector, 21: Detector such as piezoelectric element. Agent Patent Attorney Aihiko Fuku (and 2 others)
Six divisions? Ward size figure 5 figure 8

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. After the washing process, the process moves to the rinsing process via an intermediate dehydration process, including a detection means for detecting water discharged during the intermediate dehydration process, and an output signal from the detection means to detect the progress of dehydration. a dehydration state detection means for detecting the degree of dehydration; and a rinsing content determination means for counting the time until the dehydration state reaches a certain state based on the output signal of the dehydration state detection means and generating a rinse control signal based on the time. A fully automatic washing machine characterized in that the rinsing process is controlled by the rinsing control signal. 2. The fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the detection means optically detects water discharged during the intermediate dehydration step. 3. The fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the detection means detects water splashed out from the dehydration tank by collision of the water. 4. The fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the water level in the rinsing step is controlled by a rinsing control signal. 5. The fully automatic washing machine according to claim 1, wherein the water flow in the rinsing step is controlled by a rinsing control signal.